Everything I Want: Kathy Valentine’s Rock Memoirs – 10-Legged Hell Lifter | Autobiography and Memoirs
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The most successful all-female band of all time – according to the US Billboard charts – is still Go-Go’s, an irreverent and flammable new wave quintet formed in the melting pot of LA’s punk scene, at No. 1 The first album was released in the United States in 1982, Beauty and the BeatThis brilliant memoir from their bassist Kathy Valentine forms part of a charm offensive that includes an acclaimed 2020 documentary and a June date to support Billy Icon in the UK.
In this day and age, that shouldn’t matter, but given Damon Albarn’s recent comment questioning Taylor Swift’s songwriting, it’s worth repeating: Go-Go is a gang of girls who write their own songs. and run by women. And inspired female musicians from Bracelets (their apparent heirs) to Kathleen Hanna who would later form Bikini Kill. Of course, one of their biggest hits is a credit to Terry Hall, Our Lips Are Sealed, but the song is based on letters Hall exchanged with Go-Go guitarist Jane Wiedlin, and the two are a project.
While Go-Go is a LA phenomenon and isn’t as serious in the UK, Valentine’s mother is British and Valentine saw Suzi Quatro when the two were visiting family top of pop. The planet immediately tilts to a more debauched angle.
everything i ever wanted Full of British cameos: How did they beat Rod Stewart when her nanosecond-named Painted Lady, Go-Go singer Belinda Carlisle in Girlschool’s early lineup Share a label with the police, the IRS.
Kathy Valentine: “The years she failed trying to recreate a band for herself were like a car accident you couldn’t ignore.” Photo: George Dubose
when Beauty and the Beat than the police ghost exist machine On the US charts, the police made champagne while the band toured together. In this often jaw-dropping memoir, an unexpected recurrence is precisely the level of male musicians’ support for Go-Go, when Valentine sneaks up to him for a cigarette, Keith Richards How protracted “We are all in the same league”. studio, and asked her if she could listen to Jimmy Page’s guitar solo. Dave Stewart of Eurythmics is revealed to be a gentleman.
Like drummer Gina Schock, Valentine was not Go-Go from the start. But the final quintet quickly coalesced into a 10-legged hell-lifting machine, with Valentine switching from guitar to bass and learning all parts of her audition in cocaine-fueled days. She brought the key song to the band: Can’t Stop the World, on Beauty and the Beatand the title track “Vacation” from their second album.
In addition to the fascinating saga of how Go-Go became great through hard work, hard parties, and great tunes, this is Valentine’s personal forensic round. Her arcs have a candid, clear and retrospective warmth that stems from sobriety and healing. Valentine will write. She spoke of ongoing troubles, such as “trying to hide the cigarette behind the door”.
The band’s five years in the sun was basically a long bend – Happy, Sisters and Mischief
She’s done too much, too young, a Texan with a backstory replete with jaw-dropping under-parenting, obnoxious high schools, and alternative educational settings, both formal and informal. Valentine is heartbreakingly honest about the end of rape and its aftermath. But there are also good men: her mother’s boyfriend taught her to play the guitar. At a crucial moment, she meets the runaway starring Joan Jett. The Sex Pistols and Blondie travel through town, adding inspiration to her ambitions.
Valentine’s passion for drinking and drugs isn’t entirely out of place in rock circles. The band’s five years in the sun were basically a long bend – happy, sisterly and mischievous, until, that is, the band’s habits became problematic and they started to split and mismanage. Songwriters earn more than non-songwriters. They alienated their long-suffering and astute manager Ginger Canzoneri. Wiedlin leaves alone and shines in the Rush Hour.
What happens when it ends successfully is often more fascinating than the journey ahead. Valentine’s failed years trying to recreate a band for himself were like a car accident you couldn’t ignore. Valentine’s long-suffering boyfriend, Blonde’s Clem Burke, inspired her, but they eventually parted ways.
Singer-songwriter Karin Carter is a buddy, and Johnny and Joan Carter Cash (Carin’s mother) pay a huge hotel bill that Valentine couldn’t pay — when Valentine later makes a fuss about the 12-step plan When corrected, returned with shame and gratitude. There’s less to say here about the band’s reunion later in life. Valentine actually sued the band in 2013 and settled out of court. But what resonated was that Go-Go didn’t just have problems with “girl bands”—they had general problems.
everything i ever wanted Kathy Valentine is published by Jawbone (£14.95).to support guardian and observer Order your copy at Guardianbookshop.com.Shipping charges may apply
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